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turbohead

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Posts posted by turbohead
 
 
  1. It still is like before, every bike I have owned and raced over the past decades always have some condensation in the ignition case after a couple of runs. Even a boring ATV has the same kind of interesting, internal water production, like the jap one I use to collect firewood. Of course, there is still a breather attached on such a tool, even today.

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  2. Living in another country, with another approach to the current situation, it is hard to comprehend the affects of a more or less total lockdown like in the US. No metal bits to buy makes me sad and lonely.......

    Being a civil servant, I have been working from my home office since mid March and no change in sight. Apart from doing more video-sessions than ever before, it is not that bad (still not infected, of course...). There is also time for a few hours every day in the workshop, right now restoring an old Atlas Copco Cobra rock drilling machine, very odd solutions in there..... learning new thing about old tech every day. And using an old US Army manual as there are almost no documentation on these things left elsewhere.

    Looking forward to normal biking, soon!

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  3. If interested, please, have a look at one of the older threads here where I have attached some pics of how it's done to keep the "right look" and have a modern working exhaust.

  4. The Yamaha and Öhlins prototypes were very well built and tried under race conditions for a couple of years, but scrapped as they did not offer any real advantages to make up for the complex system and added weight. Nowadays, traction control systems and other electronic devises can offer almost the same benefits, at least without any weight disadvantage.  

  5. HFS is an excellent update for all old bikes, no matter if it is a SWM, Fantic or something else. If you can afford the PRO version, you enter a new era for 35 mm forks....

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  6. I must admit my enduro background make me a pretty lousy trials rider, still. Back then, when things got real tricky, speed could save your day if you were good enough and that is very hard to forget or get entirely out of your mind, so nowadays I still ride though sections too quick with too many dabs. Perhaps I should put the blame on my TXR engine and its primary gearing, not myself....?

    Seriously, you have a point. I'll begin with a 56-60t sprocket and see what that mean to me. Before summer I could even consider taking the engine apart, if things turn out your way. Maybe!

    (BTW no Telford this year, working a couple of weeks in Africa!)

  7. I am using a swingarm from a later Aprilia TXR bike, as they were more common, at least in northern Europe. No problems to make them fit any '80s SWM bike, just make some spacers between frame and engine, then weld on a pair of shock mounts and a fitting for the rear brake.

    However, regarding primary gearing, that must be a matter of personal taste from b40rt, as the higher gearing works perfect for me. If not, why go to all the trouble changing clutch basket and so on when you could go for a 56-60t rear sprocket (if you really need to go that slow....)?? ?

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  8. As I wrote above, sound level is (almost) comparable to stock. If you are in sensitive surroundings, don't go for a larger single outlet pipe or mx silencer. 

    Regarding welding, I always use TIG for high stress or vibration exposed welds. You can get decent results using MIG, but the heat affected zone is bigger, the bead process is harder to control in detail, so I play it safe (or use my MIG to fix the parts and then do the actual welding with my TIG). Brazing with a gas torch (or TIG) is an alternative (but take some practice), specially on high alloyed steels.

  9. RIP mr Pickering. Very sad news, indeed.

    I have been collecting parts and advice for a planned Bantam build over the last year or so and Jim was a goldmine of tips and tricks. As an expert always willing to share his thoughts, he was one of the very few real authorities.

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  10. I agree with b40rt on most issues, specially regarding the footrests. Use CrMo plate of the same thickness as the side plates and TIG the bits in place, pre-warm the plates and keep them warm, making the plates and welds cool down slowly (check for any sign of cracks after every ride during the first couple of weeks).

    However, regarding the midbox and rear silencer, a bit more work than b40rt suggest is well worth the effort. Cut them both up longitudinally with a thin disc and start removing whats inside. Repack the midbox with good hi temp insulation and reweld. Then, cut out everything inside the rear silencer and cut off the rear part as shown. Get a bit of perforated pipe or make one up, to fit between the inlet and a new wall in the rear part. Weld the front part longitudinally and do the same with the rear part. Then, weld the new wall in place in the rear part, as shown. Finally, fit the perforated tube into the front part and fill up with insulation before riveting the two parts together, then paint.

    I have kept the original twin outlet pipes on this one, but you can also try a bigger single pipe if you like (louder and less back pressure). The silencer shown here is almost as quiet as the original, but is a much better starting point when tuning for better power delivery all through the rev range (porting, ignition timing, carb set up and so on). Of course, you could use any modern mx type silencer instead, but a little visual cheating can be nice, or....?

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  11. I asked myself the same question as you the other year, but decided to thrash de whole decompressor kit, took the head off and welded up the hole from both ends. Strange, but I have never missed the decompressor after that, as the Rotax engine is such an easy starter (when set up right). 

  12. Of course, anyone considering to finally get rid of the old crap should go for the Pro version! You simply never know when you need that extra power.

    Seriously, the sooner you go electronic the better, Pro or not! 

  13. As we are talking Fantic here, not disc-valve engines, the bigger-is-better rule applies. Regarding Aprilia, SWM and others with Rotax disc-vale engines, you are right, they are less sensitive to airbox volume because of the dampening effect of that long inlet tract and the precise timing of the disc.

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  14. At last, Martin! A little late, but definitely worth waiting for! 

    Of course, there are other systems like these available and there are other ways to go electronic for everyone willing to do a little homework, too. However, as bolt-on and go systems, these look very interesting and good value for money, the PRO version in particular (of course). Regarding lights and such things, a total loss system with a small NiMH battery somewhere on your bike, usually keep police and MOT-people happy.

  15. Have a look at any modern mx bike and you see the answer. As big a box as possible for the frame and with be biggest filter and cage you can fit inside. The old twin-shock frames are much easier than any modern trials bike in this respect, so it's just a couple of hours of relaxing thin sheet metal work, for example 0.75 mm aluminium (or as thin as your welding skills allow). Try finding a cage and filter from any mx dealer and you are almost there. The cost for all this is......very relevant for what you get, in terms of looks and (often) performance. Perhaps the difference to your wallet can be justified, after all...?

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  16. Rotax in the older days did things their own ways, sometimes a bit too much their own. Like their disc valve controlled intakes for mx, enduro and trials engines. And the use of magnesium for transmission and magneto covers. Also, their clutch operating designs, as shown here. Everything a bit more self-willed than outstanding.

    Of course, this clutch operating system can be made to work OK, but ..... . The answer from Rotax came a few years later, with a conventional solution, like on most other dirt bikes. Much more rugged, simple and reliable, lighter to operate (see below).

    On the other hand, complicated solutions, exotic materials and so on are always nice to find when examining an old engine design......


     

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  17. Well, I got there, finally. And a great show for old men, and a few younger ones as well. Great atmosphere, lots of friendly people and a few old celebrities. Old and new stuff everywhere, but perhaps a bit more crap and rusty frames then expected. Not that many new bikes, almost no new works machinery and almost no e-bikes. I am not critical, just observing and getting a bit surprised, but still rather satisfied on my drive back to London and a late flight home.

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    And Telford centre ....... even uglier than I remembered. After years of "development", time has come to demolish some of the offices from a couple of decades back to make room for even more ...shopping? All those standard designed shopping complexes look the same wherever you go, so why not part of a Telford facelift?? Sad!

     

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